James Webb Takes Stunning Photo Of A Cosmic Tornado

The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled another breathtaking image of the cosmos, this time depicting the fascinating environment surrounding a nascent star. In their early stages, stars often emit intense jets of hot gas, and when these jets interact with surrounding dust and gas, they create remarkable structures known as Herbig-Haro objects.

This latest image focuses on Herbig-Haro 49/50, which is situated relatively close to Earth, about 630 light-years away, in the constellation Chamaeleon. Scientists had previously examined this object with the Spitzer Space Telescope, dubbing it the “Cosmic Tornado” due to its tornado-like appearance. To illustrate the enhanced capabilities of the James Webb Telescope in capturing such objects with extraordinary detail, you can explore the comparison between the 2006 Spitzer image and the latest Webb capture.

Upon examining the complete image in all its intricacies, you might notice an object positioned at the tip of the tornado in the upper left. Initially, when researchers surveyed this area using Spitzer, they observed a fuzzy formation at the tip and speculated about its nature, but the resolution at that time was insufficient for clarity. Now, thanks to Webb’s advanced imaging capabilities, it is evident that this formation is, in fact, a spiral galaxy located in the background, perfectly aligned with the Herbig-Haro object from our viewpoint on Earth.

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope observed Herbig-Haro 49/50, an outflow from a nearby still-forming star, in high-resolution near- and mid-infrared light with the NIRCam and MIRI instruments. The intricate features of the outflow, represented in reddish-orange color, provide detailed clues about how young stars form and how their jet activity affects the environment around them. A chance in this direction of the sky provides a beautiful juxtaposition of this nearby Herbig-Haro object (located within our Milky Way) with a more distant, face-on spiral galaxy in the background. — NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

The observations were made using Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), which analyze different segments of the infrared spectrum to create a comprehensive view of the target. These instruments detect the glowing hot molecules of hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and dust, which appear in shades of red and orange.

The jets from a protostar, known as Cederblad 110 IRS4, energize these gases and dust grains. While this particular protostar isn’t visible in the Webb image, it is located just outside the lower right corner.

This protostar is still in its infancy, estimated to be anywhere from tens of thousands to one million years old—quite young compared to our Sun, which is approximately 4.5 billion years old. Nevertheless, the clouds of dust in this region, known as the Chamaeleon I Cloud complex, resemble the material from which our Sun likely formed. Images like this one provide valuable insights into the tumultuous early stages of star formation.